Suffering from Old Age: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Experience of Psychological Pain in Social Relations in Elderly Women Affected by Depression and Bipolar Disorder

Abstract

Ageing is a stage that many see as the moment of fulfillment, i.e. when it is possible to calmly enjoy the time that remains. It is also a period when losses accumulate (important people, professional activity, health), which can lead to a significant deterio­ration of psychosocial functioning, sometimes manifesting as depression. The aim of this study was to understand the experience of mental suffering experienced by elderly women who are facing both tasks relevant to their old age and clinical depression. The second objective was to understand the importance of social relations for the recovery process or, on the contrary, for the worsening of the illness. We conducted in-depth individual interviews with three senescent women; each of them had experienced many losses in the past and is now struggling with psychological disorders in the form of a depressive episode within bipolar disorder. The contents of the interviews were then subjected to the interpretative phenomenological analysis. On the basis of the analysis, we have distinguished three aspects of the researched subjects’ relations with the surrounding world. The first one includes the losses faced by the women – the death of close relatives, retirement, decreased acuity. Another aspect concerns the feeling of alienation within areas that are still available to them, which is additionally compounded by a lack of un­derstanding from close relatives (denial of suffering, insistence on a rapid improvement). The third aspect refers to the supportive and hope-giving behaviors of the surrounding people (acknowledging suffering, giving time to heal, showing patience). Finally, we generally reflected on the determinants of the relatives’ behavior towards elderly people suffering from depression.